In the first three months of 2026, the traffic of goods in the port of Rotterdam was 103.0 million tonnes, with a limited decrease of -0.7% on the same period last year, which was generated by the -1.8% reduction in goods at the landing, amounting to 72.9 million tonnes, which was partially offset by the +2.0% increase in those at the end of the year, which amounted to 30.1 million tonnes, and in increase of +13.1% in shipments of liquid bulk cargo.

In the container sector alone, total traffic is state of 31.2 million tonnes (-3.2%) and was built with a container handling of 3.37 million of TEU (+0.3%). Other miscellaneous goods amounted to 7.7 million of tonnes (-1.5%), of which 6.3 million tonnes of rolling stock (+1.6%) and 1.4 million tons of other cargo (-13.3%). The Liquid bulk cargo totaled 49.1 million tons (+2.2%), of which 25.2 million tonnes of crude oil (+1.7%), 12.9 million tonnes of petroleum products refined (+10.3%), 3.2 million tonnes of natural gas liquefied cargo (+1.7%) and 7.8 million tons of other bulk cargo liquid (-7.2%). In the dry bulk sector, the figure was 15.0 million tonnes (-4.3%) and includes 5.4 million tonnes of minerals and scrap (+5.3%), 4.0 million tons of coal (-9.8%), 2.4 million tons of agricultural products (-20.9%) and 3.1 million tonnes of other dry bulk (+4.6%).

Regarding the sharp drop in the traffic of agricultural products, the Port Authority of Rotterdam explained that it is in largely due to a return to normal levels, given that the Last year, there was a temporary increase in volumes shipped through the Dutch port. The decline of -9.8% is mainly attributable to the decrease in of the volume of energy coal as a result of the exceptional levels of recorded in 2025, while in 2026 it returned at the usual levels. As for liquid bulk cargo, the port authority has The increase in exports of products oil prices and the simultaneous reduction of imports, a trend divergent differences which, according to the Authority, could be linked to the fact that, as in 2025, most petroleum products was in backwardation, with spot prices of the most than expected in the future, which does not incentivise their storage. The body also noted that it was there was also an increase in diesel exports to Spain and Gibraltar and this could be due to the fact that the Mediterranean is now an ECA control area of emissions, where the sulphur content of the marine fuel must not be exceed 0.1%.

Regarding the effect on the port of Rotterdam of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the port authority of the Dutch port of call explained that a total of 19 million tons of goods, accounting for 4.4% of the total annual traffic in Rotterdam, comes from Persian Gulf countries and it is mainly oil raw from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, kerosene from Kuwait, fuel oil from Saudi Arabia and diesel from Qatar. Gas liquefied natural from Qatar does not reach Rotterdam, where two-thirds come from the United States. Observing whereas Asia is more dependent on oil imports crude oil and petroleum products from the Middle East compared to Europe and that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz led to a rapid increase in the prices of petroleum products in Asia, the port authority specified that this increase was greater than Europe because of its increased dependence on the Middle East and whereas, due to higher prices in Asia, at least five tankers bound for Rotterdam changed course heading for to Asia.

He then specified that the Dutch port depended on the countries of the Persian Gulf for 10% of its crude oil traffic and for 14% of its traffic in petroleum products, the port authority has announced that the impact of the closure of the Strait on traffic of goods handled in Rotterdam is barely perceptible in the data for the first quarter of 2026, but - he specified the CEO of the authority, Boudewijn Siemons - "It could become more pronounced in the second quarter." On the other hand, the expected impact of the closure of Hormuz on the container sector, given that the traffic containerized directly and from the Middle East represents 1.2% of the total volume handled in Rotterdam. However - he warned the Authority - the indirect effects of the war on the container industry could have a much greater impact than economic recession and declining purchasing power.